Tire Registration

History of Computerized Information And Management Services, Inc. (CIMS)

In 1971, Paul J. Kruder left his job as controller at Mohawk Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio, to form Computerized Information and Management Services, Inc., (CIMS).From a small office in Akron, Ohio Kruder grew his business into the industry’s largest tire registration company.

Like the start of many organizations, CIMS was born out of a federal government requirement. In 1970, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, ordered tire manufacturers and tire dealers to register all tires they sold. The original mandate required tire manufacturers to mold identification numbers into tire sidewalls and to keep a record of the name and address of the first tire purchaser.

NHTSA was an extension of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (and a successor to the defunct National Highway Safety Bureau, NHSB), signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act provided for a coordinated national safety program and establishment of safety standards for motor vehicles in interstate commerce to reduce accidents involving motor vehicles, and to reduce the deaths and injuries occurring in such accidents.

The Act required regulators to establish federal motor vehicle safety standards to protect the public against “unreasonable risk of accidents occurring as a result of the design, construction or performance of motor vehicles” and “unreasonable risk of death or injury… in the event accidents do occur.” The Act gave regulators until Jan. 31, 1967, to develop the standards.

Today, CIMS is the recognized industry leader in tire registration, building a worldwide client base of tire manufacturers, private brand owners, tire dealers, tire distributors, mass merchandisers and automobile dealerships that surpasses 15,000. While the mantra, “It’s the Law!” remains the basis for the business, Susan Kruder continues to carry on her late husband’s vision of expansion and growth with innovations such as Point-of-Sale Electronic Tire Registration, Online E-Tire Registration and CIMS’ Electronic Tire Registration Clearinghouse.

CIMS’ clients range from the largest manufacturers and retail chains to the smallest specialty tire maker and single store independent dealer. CIMS prides itself in the ability to work with each client, large or small, to develop an economical and efficient method to comply with the NHTSA Tire Registration Regulations.